This invention relates generally to edge guards for application to the trailing edges of swinging closures such as an automobile's doors. More specifically the invention relates to an improvement in a door edge guard for a corner of the door edge.
Applicant is the inventor of a number of patents relating to door edge guards. He is also the inventor in a number of pending patent applications on the same subject which are known to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by virtue of their pendency. For the most part applicant's previous inventions on this subject relate to door edge guards which are self-retaining on the door edge. An advantage of such door edge guards is that they do not require the use of separate fasteners in order to secure them on the door edge. Applicant has also invented door edge guards in which insulating material is provided between the metal of the edge guard and the door edge so that the metal of the edge guard is insulated from the metal of the door edge to thereby guard against adverse effects, such as corrosion, rusting, etc. where dissimilar metals are present. The incorporation of a layer of insulating material has also been extended by the applicant to the exterior of the door edge guard so that various color coordination schemes can be developed through the selective application of insulation to the particular formation of the metal strip from which the edge guard is formed.
The self-retaining door edge guards are adapted for application to what is commonly called a hem flange which exists at the trailing edge of aost automobile doors. The hem flange is a relatively thin edge having a thickness for example on the order of 1/8 inch. Some doors do not possess this type of construction. Rather their trailing edge is much thicker and therefore it is not well adapted for self-retaining type edge guards. Such a door edge however does have an outside corner which is susceptible to damage wben the door is opened into the path of an object which may be present. Hence there is still a need for a door edge guard for application to the outside corner of this door's trailing edge. It may also happen that doors of this type have a compound contour for their outside corner which curves in different directions. In other words it is not simply a straight line or even a simple curve but rather a compound curvature.
The present invention is directed to a door edge guard which is well suited for use with this latter type of a door edge. The invention is adapted for edge guards consisting solely of metal, but preferably of insulated metal wherein a layer of nonmetallic insulating material protects the metal of the edge guard from the door edge. Insulation may also be provided on the exterior so as to provide desired exterior color coordination effects with the colors of the automobile body. The invention may also be practiced in various embodiments having different cross sectional forms, as will be herein disclosed.
The foregoing features, advantages, and benefits of the invention, along with additional ones, will be seen in the ensuing description and claims which should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention according to the best mode contemplated at the present time in carrying out the invention.